Kobe Trial Will Proceed

Prosecutors promised Monday to try NBA star Kobe Bryant on a sexual assault charge, despite a judge's decision that will allow details of his accuser's sex life to be used against her at trial.

A spokeswoman for prosecutors said they spoke with Bryant's 20-year-old accuser Friday after the ruling, which will allow the defense to argue that her injuries could have been caused by sex with someone other than Bryant during the week of their encounter.

"We're still planning on moving forward toward a trial," said the spokeswoman, Krista Flannigan. "She still has strong resolve to move forward."

The ruling was such a "devastating" blow to the prosecution that CBS News Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen wrote they should drop the charges.

Meanwhile, two lawyers for the alleged victim scheduled a meeting Monday. One of them, Lin Wood, said discussions would include last week's ruling by District Judge Terry Ruckriegle but he declined to elaborate. The other lawyer, John Clune, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Flannigan declined to say whether prosecutors had ruled out a plea bargain. In his decision, Ruckriegle extended the deadline for a plea deal to Wednesday.

Larry Pozner, a Denver attorney and former president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said a plea deal was unlikely.

"If the prosecution offers a deal, it's because the complaining witness doesn't want to go ahead with a trial," he said. "If the complaining witness is pulling the plug, the defense has no need for a plea bargain."

He said prosecutors would not go to trial without the accuser's consent, even though the law allows them to. "In a sexual assault case, no prosecutor would force an accuser to get on the stand if the accuser said, 'I don't want to,"' he said.

Bryant's lawyers had no comment, their law office said.

Bryant, 25, faces a single charge of felony sexual assault stemming from a June 2003 encounter with the woman, then a 19-year-old desk worker at a Vail-area resort. He has pleaded not guilty, saying they had consensual sex.

Bryant's trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 27. If convicted, the Los Angeles Lakers star faces four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation, and a fine up to $750,000.

The defense has suggested the woman had multiple sexual partners in the days surrounding her encounter with Bryant, including sex with someone after the alleged attack and before she contacted authorities. Clune has denied that claim.

Colorado's rape-shield law generally prevents the sex life of an alleged assault victim from being admitted as evidence. But a judge can hear evidence behind closed doors and determine whether the details are relevant.